A Pledge About Christmas Eve
by Charlie Hues
Summary: Ivan was coming home from Russia on Christmas eve. And although he hid it from his brothers, Yao was all excited... Only to get disappointed at the last minute. Would he remain heartbroken all season, or would some sort of miracle happen?


**Untitled Christmas Special **

**A/N:** Hello, dears. :D Umm, right. Merry Christmas to all.

Now, second of all, to those who know me from _Panda_, this is a compensation work because of the month-long delay for chapter 20. I will explain everything in my next update. And that'll be soon enough, I can assure you all. :D

Right. Anyway, I sort of gave brains to Ukraine, and an overly-dramatic and emotional Belarus, but, hey. It's Christmas. Everybody gets that oh-my-I'm-not-acting-myself-today thing because it's Christmas. :D Trust me, it's true.

Oh, and to those RoChu fans out there, umm, I hope you people like this little thingy. xD

Also, warning: fluff ending ahead.

Merry Christmas~

...

..

.

"_The documents are nearly finished. I am confident that they will be completed on the morning of the twenty-fourth._"

"Alright. So, does that mean you're going to be here on Christmas eve, aru?"

"_I trust that I will._"

He sighed, relieved and happy. "Just make sure of that, okay?"

"_Da. I will. I promise._"

"Alright, then. What time is it there, anyway?"

"_It is already five in the morning._"

"What? Why'd you bother to call _that_ early? I mean, you could just call in the afternoon or something. And you've been calling at this hour ever since you got there, you know, aru."

"_I have recently read in the newspaper that it is quite romantic to call at night._"

His face suddenly bloomed a precious shade of rose. "Th-That's..."

"_And if I am not mistaken, it is nine in the evening there, is it not? Just before you go to bed, da?_"

"Ivan, that's..."

His answer was but an innocent chuckle.

"Why're you laughing, aru?"

"_No reason. I will be sure to call you on the twenty-fourth._" He paused. Since there weren't any answers from the other line, he said, "_I shall see you on the twenty-fourth, then. Good night, Yao._"

"Right... Good morning, Ivan."

Dial tone.

He heard a second sound, like when the phone on the other end of the line hangs up.

"That's odd... Whatever. Just make sure you're home on Christmas eve, aru."

He climbed onto bed, and perched himself comfortably within its warm sheets, withdrawing himself from the dreadful chill of the winter snow blistering outside his window.

_Ho~hum_

Careful feet gently walked into the room, as quietly as they could, so as not to wake the target. Bearly breathing, he positioned himself precisely next to the eldest's bed. He breathed deep. Just as he was about to yell his brother's name, his plan was foiled.

"Good morning, Yong Soo," he yawned.

The youngest grunted, frustrated.

He laughed, almost mockingly. "Not today."

Defeated, Yong Soo just sprawled himself across his brother's bed. Yao, on the other hand, sat up and stretched soulfully.

"Why're you up so early, aru?"

Rolling to his side and fiddling with his fingers, the Korean explained, "I have plans with Hong Kong this morning. He asked if I could help him out with wrapping presents. So, what's for breakfast?"

"Why're you asking me? I just woke up. And it's Kiku's turn today, aru."

Yong Soo instantly paused, and thought. "You're right!" He rolled over, facing his brother, and punched his fist into his palm. " I should be in _his_ room!" He stood up, marched right out, and threw the door shut.

The Chinese winced at how loud and how hard his door was slammed. He took a glimpse at the calendar on his bedside table. He frowned. The previous night, he hoped that some sort of miracle would happen, and would make time skip a day, and just be the twenty-fourth already.

"No miracle, aru," he declared. "I'd better get up now." And just as he said, he stood, fixed his bed, and slipped into a new pair of clothes. Afterwards, he stepped out. As he walked down the hallway, his nose picked up a rather familiar scent. He went to the kitchen.

"Pancakes? _Again_?"

"Now, where is that chocolate syrup...?" Yong Soo voiced, looking over the condiments rack.

"I didn't know what to make, and Yong Soo said he wanted pancakes."

"Kiku, you're spoiling him too much, aru."

"Well..."

"He's not spoiling me, Yao-hyung. I was just trying to help him out with deciding what to make. Aha! There you are!" And he found the chocolate syrup innocently standing next to the cinnamon. "Anyway, did you know that pancakes originated in Korea?"

"For the oh-no-I-lost-count-of-how-many-times-I-told-you-this-already, they did _not_ originate from Korea, Yong Soo."

"Oh, yes, they did, Yao-hyung!"

Concluding that the conversation won't go anywhere, he just decided to drop it. He took his seat in the table, and browsed through the morning paper.

"I won't be able to make dinner tonight," the middle sibling said, flipping a pancake. The eldest looked up from his broadsheet. "The editor's making us all rush the latest publication."

"Hmmm... Working in a publishing company sure seems really busy, Kiku-hyung..."

"It is, Yong Soo."

"It's fine, aru. Just don't ride yourself too hard."

Kiku nodded with a smile.

_Ho~hum_

"Oh, good morning, Yao!" The Finn cheerfully greeted behind two stacks of paper.

"'Morning, Tino."

"Really, I can't believe they're still making us work today. I mean, it's already December twenty-three, for crying out loud," he complained, sorting out a few documents.

"I know what you mean, aru. And I'm a _psychologist_. I'm not even one of the people who're supposed to be on stand by at the emergency room." He fixed his coat on the rack. "And it's getting really cold outside, too, aru."

"Well, at least work's out tomorrow," Tino tried to look at the brighter side of things, as he evenned out the papers. "Oh, right. Which reminds me, we're going to have a small Christmas party at my place on the twenty-fourth. Wanna come?"

"Christmas eve?" Yao looked at him.

"Yeah."

"Sorry, Tino, but I already have plans that night, aru."

"Ooh.. Plans," the Finn repeated.

"What?"

"It's just that... You don't usually, umm... Err, go out, so..." He simpered.

"Hey, I have a social life, too, aru!" The doctor blurted out.

Aside from work and home, Yao actually _does_ have a social life-an online networking site for people who like to cook. So technically, he does have a social life. Sort of.

"And besides, I already made plans for that night."

The Chinese had his hand on the doorknob when his secretary uttered, "plans with _Ivan_, perhaps?"

Well, _that_ struck something.

Yao decided not to react or do anything stupid that would point out to a big, fat yes. He wanted to keep it to himself. He glanced from his shoulder.

"Yeah, right," he said, sarcastic.

The rest of the day rolled by like any other day. Except, there weren't any kids who showed up for their appointments, since they were all out of town to spend the holidays with relatives. Raivis had gone away, back to Latvia. Liechtenstein flew overseas with her brother, the extensively wealthy Swiss businessman, Vash Zwingli. And as for Peter, Arthur had already told the psychologist that the child would be spending Christmas with some relatives back in England.

A sigh escaped from his lips, and resounded in the room. He began to think that there was no point in staying in the hospital, since there weren't any appointments. And if there were going to be consultations, most probably, they would give his secretary a call first. But of course, there were also people who just pop in randomly.

He took a glimpse of the clock as it chimed.

Three.

_Alright. One more hour, aru._

He sighed again, and sat back in his chair. He scanned his desk, and found the latest issue of the health magazine he asked Tino to put there.

"I should remember to thank him later," he reminded himself, and reached for the overly-thick periodical.

...

"Brother?" A coarse voice floated from the open door of his room.

He had his back to her. Bent over his bed, he was packing and securing his clothes, alongside bottles and bottles of a wide variety of vodka into his travelling bag for his flight the following day. And not even bothering to look at his sister, he readily said, "no, Natalia. I am not, and will never marry you."

Footsteps heavily shuffled near to him. "That was not what I was about to tell you."

"Oh? As you have always stalked and _insisted_, I was quite sure it was," his voice was as cold as ever.

"Brother, listen to me," she grunted. She sat on her brother's bed and stared, almost glaring at him. "Listen to me."

Finally, Ivan redirected his vision toward her. "What is it?"

"Are you," she started, suddenly forgetting the next words.

"Am I what?" His tone had a distinct hint of resentment.

"Are you really going to leave tomorrow? Do you really have to?"

He raised a brow. Natalia had a firm, but somewhat anxious stance.

"What?"

"I asked if you really have to leave tomorrow. I mean, it _is_ Christmas, after all..."

This was new.

He laughed caustically. "And since when have you started to believe in Christmas?"

"It does not matter!" She howled. "I am asking if you really must leave tomorrow!"

"Yes."

"Why?" She bawled. "Why couln't you just stay here? Why? Tell me!"

"Stop your nonsense, Natalia," he said.

"Answer me!"

"Shut your mouth, Natalia." It was taking him a great effort to restrain himself from hitting her with his pipe.

"Stay here!"

"Stop yelling!" He finally snapped, yelling as well. He slammed his hands hard against his bed, violently shaking it and his sister. Natalia stood up, and stomped her feet angrily.

"Answer me!" She screamed at the top of her lungs. The tears that built up in the corner of her eyes fell, and they started to stream down her face.

"Why do you keep asking? You do _not_ have to know! It is none of your business!"

"It is, brother! It is!" She wailed.

"Why are the both of you still awake?" Another blonde came bustling in; she was in her night clothes, and was wrapped in her robe. She saw her siblings raging at each other. The two temporarily stopped, and stared at her, both their brows furrowed. "Why are you making such a ruckus? And it's already eleven at night!" She saw Natalia's face. "What happened?"

"She came here and disturbed my packing," Ivan said.

"I did not!"

"Da. You did."

"I'm telling you, I only came here to ask you a question!"

"Enough!"

Even though Ivan thinks her sisters can be such a pain at times, he still has a sense of respect towards his older sister, small as that sense of respect may be.

"Now, the both of you, tell me what _really_ happened," she ordered, somewhat with authority.

Ivan was about to open his mouth when Natalia spoke, "brother was packing his things when I walked in. I was only going to ask him a question. But he wouldn't answer me!"

"I answered your question."

"No, you did not!"

"Quiet!" Ukraine eyed them both. The Russian wasn't looking at either of them. "If she was just asking you, then, why didn't you just answer her question? If you did, she wouldn't have pestered you about it," she pointed out. He didn't react or anything. "What was your question, Natalia?"

"I just wanted to know if he could stay tomorrow. Until Christmas. But no matter what I say, he wouldn't answer me," she huffed, her voice breaking twice in between heavy breaths. "I just... I just wanted him to be here on Christmas, at least. If he would stay, I would promise that I wouldn't pester him about marrying me for once."

Ivan still refused to look at either of them. Ukraine frowned, helpless. She looked at Natalia, then glanced up at him. She walked over to the youngest sibling, and wrapped her arm around her shoulder.

"Let's go, Natalia."

"No. I want to hear him out loud."

"Let's go, Natalia. I will tell you why."

"But..." She gazed at her brother for the last time, and ran out of the room, sobbing.

Ukraine sighed. She approached her brother and looked at him longingly, as any older sister would. She ran her hand on his shoulder. Ivan eyed her.

"Get some rest. The documents need a sharp finalizing tomorrow." With a final smile, one of deeply restrained melancholy, she left, and went after her sister.

Soon as she was out of sight, Ivan heard her calling after the Natalia. He chose to leave them be. He hopped into bed and tried to get some rest. He still had to go through all the trouble of travelling from Russia to America, after all. As he lay in bed, he thought of the reason why he wanted to go straight back to America, even if he abhorred that land. He didn't take him too long to think of the reason why he was just itching to go back.

Yao.

Nothing more, nothing less. He wanted nothing more than to run straight back to Yao. He pondered and pondered, floundering and drowning him in all his thoughts of him, until all those thoughts engulfed him, and put him to sleep.

"Natalia, listen to me."

"Why should I? It would make no difference whether I listen to you or not," she howled, running to her room, and jumping onto her bed, face down.

Ukraine sat beside her, and explained why their brother had to leave immediately once the papers are done.

"How come you know all this?"

"Hadn't you thought that I could have already gone up to him and asked?" The older blonde pointed out. She sighed and continued, "just let him be. He deserves to be happy after all he has been through."

"Yes. He and I should be married, so the both of us could be happy," she uttered, muffled because of the pillow she held.

"What was that?"

"I didn't say anything," she lied.

"At any rate, that Yao seems to be a nice person. Ivan would not be so bent on getting back there if that Yao were not so important." Seeing her sister wear a dense expression, she said, "just leave him be. I'm quite sure he is happier that way."

The youngest sibling gripped her pillow tighter. As she stared into her sister's bright, azure eyes, somewhat expecting some sort of consent. None came. She bit her lip, knowing that whatever she might say, or do, she would never win her brother's favor. Though this was the case, she still hoped for a miracle. Ukraine saw this, and sighed, unable to do anything about it.

They both knew that nothing would change Ivan's mind once he has set his goal.

...

"Are you sure you can't go to the Christmas party tomorrow night?"

The Chinese took his coat from the rack. "For the fourth time, Tino, yeah."

"Awwe, but everyone's going to be there," he insisted. "The Italian brothers from the cafeteria, Lovino and Feliciano are going to be there. The med-tech professional, the surgeon, the pedia, the urologist, the nurse, and the dentist are all going to be there, too. You know, Antonio, Ludwig, Clara, Francis, Matthew, and Alfred are all coming. A lot of other people would come! And of course, my Berwald's coming, too."

"Thanks, Tino, but I'm pretty sure the people I'll be with that night are actually _real_ people, and that the plans I already made are as real as I am a boy, aru."

"Then that's..." He giggled.

"What?"

"Nothing, never mind. Anyway, you could bring a friend, if you like. Alfred's bringing one."

"Like I said, thanks, but no. I already made plans that night, aru. Thanks for bringing me the magazine, by the way."

"It's fine." He sighed. "Anyway, okay, then. But, if you suddenly get free, come by, okay?"

"I'll be sure to remember that. Bye, Tino. See you on the twenty-sixth. Merry Christmas."

"Bye, Yao. Merry Christmas."

And with a wave from his shoulder, Yao exited the room, and trod down the hallway. He looked out the window, and saw everything coated in white.

"I hope he _would_ be home tomorrow night, aru."

He sighed, and went on walking down the hall to the elevator at the end. He hopped on, and stared at his reflection on the door. Then, a thought struck him.

"Oh, right. I forgot, I'll be making dinner tonight. Hmm... What to cook, what to cook..." He wasn't really in the mood to make magic in the kitchen; the coldness of the season gave him that urge to make his life easier and finish things faster. In other words, the strong temptation of laziness was getting to him. But he always believed that giving in to indolence would get you absolutely nowhere, and _that _it against his personal philosophy. He was still thinking hard when the elevator came to a stop. The doors slid open, and he stepped out. He heard familiar bickering neaby.

"You should've listened, you ass! Is that simple thing _that_ fucking hard to do?"

As expected, the Italian brothers, who happened to be the hopital's head chefs, were being as loud as they could again. But even if they _always_ had to squabble about almost _everything_, it's no question that they're both excellent cooks. In fact, they're so good that the food they make all seem like stuff from a fancy restaurant. Well, that's expected from a high-paying, private-owned hospital.

"No, but Lovino, everyone was just shouting their orders, I didn't know what to do! I was so busy, and you were just doing things with Antonio!"

"Shut up, Feliciano!"

"Ve~! It's true!"

"Shut up! Just figure out a way to get rid of that pizza! And someone's got to pay for it."

"Ve~? No one would want to buy a pizza _this_ big!"

"That's not my problem!"

The psychologist felt the need to intervene. "Umm, by any chance, could I help, aru?"

The older Italian eyed him. Just before another curse came out of his mouth, his brother went straight ahead, "oh, Yao! Would you want this pizza?"

"What?" Both Lovino and said doctor blurted.

"Brother, if we give this to Yao, then there wouldn't be any problems, right?"

"Ass! We can't just give him this huge pizza for _free_!"

"Oh. Right. Ve~"

"Then I'll pay for it," Yao caught, just in time before another round of bickering starts again. "How much is it, anyway?"

"Twenty-five bucks," Lovino said.

"Hmm... It's pretty big, but okay. I'll buy it, aru."

"Ve~, really?"

"Uhh, yeah." He grabbed his wallet, and took out a twenty and a five dollar bill each, then handed them to the younger Italian.

"Fucking problem solved. Thanks, Yao."

"Thanks a million, Yao~!"

"Sure, aru."

And with a final nod, he walked away with dinner.

"If the biggest pizza _Yellow Cab_ has is fourteen inches, then this must be around... Eighteen or twenty, aru," he told himself as he walked down the street to their house. It was true. Two normal-sized pizza boxes were used to wrap up the whole thing. "Hmm... I wonder what kind of person wanted to eat a pizza _this_ huge... Well, that's not my problem, aru."

He stepped into the house, and took off his coat. He didn't see any overtly thick scarves hanging on the rack.

"Oh, right. I forgot. He's overseas right now." Somewhat, that fact drained all his youthful vigor.

He went on and walked straight into the living room, where he found Yong Soo sprawled across the couch; his head was dangling off the side, his mouth lay open, his legs spread wide, his shirt was rolled up to his chest, and his hands were all over the place. Suddenly, Yao asked himself how he was related to him. He put the pizza down on the kitchen counter before he went back to his brother. He stared down at him, then pulled his shirt down, like how it was supposed to be.

"Yong Soo," he called, lightly tapping the youngest's shoulder.

"Don't touch me there, Hong Kong, that's cheating..." The Korean merely uttered in an extremely wrong tone.

"Yong Soo," Yao called louder. The youngest stretched out his arms, and pervertedly reached out for his brother. Yao took a step away, took a deep breath, seized him by the shoulders, and shook him forcefully. Yao let go of him when Yong Soo finally opened his eyes and yawned. "Get up. Pizza's for dinner."

"Huh...? Pizza? I thought you were going to cook something?" Not giving Yao the chance to speak, he said, "ah well. I guess pizza's nice for a change. Say, could I eat in front of the TV, Yao-hyung?" Yong Soo had already expected that his brother wouldn't let him, since Yao always hated it when he ate in front of the TV, but to his exaggerated surprise, he was actually allowed to do what he wanted.

"Really?"

"Yeah. Why not?" He said, somewhat lifelessly.

The Korean frowned, and tilted his head like a dog. "Are you sure?"

"Like I said, go ahead, aru."

"Hmm... Well, okay, then."

He skipped off to the kitchen counter, took the pizza, and skipped back. He neatly placed their dinner on the low table in front of them, then switched on the TV before he took out a slice. Yao also took one for himself.

It was surprisingly quiet. Even for them.

"What's up, Yao-hyung?" He asked, although he already had a pretty good idea why his brother was acting a bit dull.

"The ceiling, aru."

Yong Soo sighed exasperatedly. "That's not what I meant."

"Then what _do_ you mean?"

"I mean, why are you acting weird?"

"I'm not."

"Yes, you are."

"I'm _not_ acting weird, okay?"

"Come on, Yao-hyung. He's coming back home tomorrow night, right? So stop acting sad already."

"What, aru?" Yao faced him, a disgruntled look across his face.

"Ivan's coming home tomorrow, right?"

"How'd you know that? Wait, _why_ do you know that?"

He looked away. "I..."

"I knew it. You tapped on the line again, didn't you, aru?"

"Well..." He smiled stupidly.

Yao was about to start giving another sermon when the middle brother arrived. The both of them turned their attention to him.

"Oh. Why are you eating in the living room?" Kiku asked at the sight of them.

"Because Yao-hyung misses Ivan," the youngest easily answered.

"Whatever, aru. Take a seat, Kiku. Dinner's just started."

After dinner, each of the three had their own things to do. Yong Soo hogged the TV, Kiku was soaking himself in the tub, and Yao was sitting on his bed, watching the snow from his window as he waited patiently for the Russian's phone call. Ever since he left, Ivan had been calling him at a consistent time; Yao was sure enough that he would receive a call from him tonight. He glanced at the clock.

_Nine o'clock_

He waited until it was a half past nine.

"Maybe he woke up a bit late, aru," he told himself.

The urge to sleep was gnawing on him excruciatingly, which made him decide to slip under the covers. He assured himself that he would hear the phone ring even if he was under the covers. Plus, he just wanted to keep himself warm. Yeah. He waited. With all the strength he could muster, he fought the temptation to slide into slumber. He glanced at the clock again.

_Ten o'clock_

"I'm not going to sleep _now_, aru."

The alluring contrast between the cold outside striving to leak into his room, and the comfortably warm sheets that encased him, they were all too agonizing to resist...

_Ho~hum_

_Marukaite Chikyuu, Marukaite Chikyuu, Marukaite Chikyuu, Chugoku aru yo_

"Mmph..."

_Aa, hito fude de mieru subarashii sekai_

A weak hand sneaked from the blanket to retrieve the phone.

"Ivan, aru...?" He asked, his voice was nasal and coarse.

"_Sorry, but no. This is Tino._"

"Tino," he repeated, his mind not fully grasping anything. "'Morning..."

"_Oh, did I wake you up? Sorry._"

"Nah... 'S fine. Why'd you call?" He sounded muffled because his face was to the pillow.

"_Now I feel guilty. Anyway, I just called to ask if you're _sure_ you're _not_ coming tonight. Are you? I hope not._"

"Yeah, aru. I'm sure."

"_Oh. Okay... Anyway, if there are any change of plans-_"

"I'll be sure to tell you, aru."

"_Well, alright, then. Bye!_"

His last answer was but a mere moan.

_Tonight_

That word rang in his head. _What's with that word? _He asked himself.

_Tonight_

He felt like he was forgetting something important. It was probably because his mind was still a little too hazy from waking up. He regretfully turned his head to take a look at the calendar he had on his bedside table. What day was it?

_December 24_

He narrowed his eyes, making sure he was looking at the right spot.

_December 24_

It didn't change. The calendar still said it was the twenty-fourth of December. That early in the morning, his face flushed a youthful shade of pink. He ran a hand down his face, hoping he could make it go away.

"Ivan'll be coming home tonight," he told himself, muffled as his hand kept rubbing against his mouth. Abruptly, he remembered he fell asleep last night waiting for the Russian's call. "Oh, shoot." He faced the phone, then let out a heavy breath. "Well, it's _his_ fault for not calling on time, aru. I expected he'd call at nine." He blinked twice, clearing his head. "Aiyaa... Whatever, aru."

He repressed a smile; his pride will accept it if he acted too obvious. Although, he earnestly looked forward to that day.

Morning until afternoon, the Chinese had gone through everything with a skillfully concealed mirth. He was great at hiding how he actually felt. Yong Soo didn't suspect a thing. Still, how well Yao was great at feigning emotions, was how great Kiku was at analyzing the atmosphere, since it had been a habit of his for so long. The middle sibling had an idea that his eldest brother was happy; he smiled at that. _He deserves it_, the Japanese thought.

Although, Yao had noticed that one thing was off. Not one call from Ivan.

The Christmas tree quietly stood next to the window. Presents lay underneath, patiently waiting for Christmas to come. The three siblings sat on the couch, watching some TV. The eldest snatched a glance at the clock.

_Three o'clock. _

He was still thinking why Ivan still hadn't called him. Had something possibly come up?

_Ring Ring Ring_

Yao readily grabbed the phone.

"Hello-" His conscience told him not to mention _his_ name. He let out a fake cough. "Umm, hello?"

On the other line, he heard a man's voice, slowly talking. As in, _really_ slow. Like how a person talks when he's on crack. Luckily, Yao knew who it was.

"Kiku," he started. "It's for you, aru."

The middle sibling nodded, and took the phone from him. He listened for a couple of seconds before spluttering, "what? I thought we already finished everything?" Even if he was somewhat panicking, he still sounded inexplicably calm.

His brothers looked at him.

"That's..." He decided he couldn't do anything about it but comply. "I knew that finishing early was just too good to be true. Fine. I'm on my way." He put the phone down, and stood up.

"What was that about, Kiku-hyung?"

"Apparently, the... The," he stopped himself from saying something inappropriate, "one of the artists spilt coffee on the cover page of the latest publication. Now, they want me to draw them a new one," he explained. "I have to do it." He gave his brothers an apologetic look. "I might be home late."

"It's fine."

"Sorry," the Japanese said.

"How do you say that in Japanese again? Uhh..." Yong Soo thought for a second. "Oh. Right. Was it... _Gambatte_? If it is, and I just hope it is, so, _gambatte_." Then, he gave Kiku a thumbs up sign.

"Don't ride yourself too hard, okay, aru?"

"I won't. You two take care, too." Happy that his brothers understood the situation, Kiku took off in the cold winter snow with a smile on his face, and a pocketful of determination.

"I guess it's just the two of us now, huh, Yao-hyung?" Yong Soo said with a duck face. "Well, that's that until Ivan comes back to you, right?" He teased. Yao was about to retort when the youngest continued, "speaking of which, how come you aren't going to the airport to pick him up yet?"

"I'm still waiting for his call."

"Hmm... You know what?" Yao gave him a dubious look, so he said, "I think we should just go get him. He'll be _thrilled_ to see you waiting at the airport."

"Huh?" He thought about it.

"Come on. You know you want to." The Korean had that sly, cunning glint in his eyes.

Oh, the thought was too good to pass up.

"Well?"

"Okay then. Are you coming, aru?"

"I want to."

"Get dressed, then. We're driving there, aru."

Yong Soo chuckled. And for the first time, he won over his brother.

_Ho~hum_

He pulled out his phone. Nothing. He glanced at his brother. Yong Soo was busying himself with watching people come and go. Yao saw that Yong Soo was staring at the overly-massive chest of a Belgian woman. He swore that he saw his brother drooling, too. But, he decided to ignore that, and get back to his phone. He thought about just calling Ivan to relieve him from all the stress he's been giving himself. Unknowingly, his hands pressed the speed dial to the Russian's number.

_The number you dialed is either unavailable, or out of coverage area. Please call again later_, the lady at the other end said.

The vibrant hope he had been harboring all day seemed like it was already fading.

Just as he hung up, his phone rang. Without looking at the caller id, he quickly answered, "hello?"

"_Yao?_" The voice he had been longing to hear began to melt his heart.

"Ivan..." He said, breathless. "I... How come you never called last night? And how come you never called today? You said you were going to. And I waited all day. Did you know you got me worried? When's your flight going to arrive, aru?"

"_Da, right... About that_," he regretted both calling, and telling him this. "_Yao, forgive me, but I would not be able to come home tonight. Some things have come up suddenly._"

_Wait, what? _

"You're... What?"

"_I am sorry, but I will not be able to come home today._"

"What...? But, why?"

"_I have never expected this to happen, but the documents... Unfortunately, they were not finished, and because of that, I must stay until everything is done._"

"Huh? B-but... Y-You're kidding, right, aru?"

"_As much as I wish that I was, I am not. Forgive me._"

He heard something crash, and then shatter to pieces.

_Get a hold of yourself, Yao. _

"_Yao_?"

He managed to get a grip of himself before he totally let himself slip away. "Right. That's... Fine, I suppose."

"_Yao... Are you angry_?"

"What? Of course not, aru. These things happen, right?"

_Don't be all childish. You should be a calm and composed adult. Right. An adult, aru. A mature adult. _

"Okay. I suppose you should get back to whatever you were doing, then, aru."

"_I am truly sorry._"

"Sure. Bye," he answered curtly, then immediately hung up.

The Chinese collected his youngest brother. "Come on, Yong Soo. We're going."

"What? Aren't we going to pick up Ivan?"

"No, we aren't, aru."

Yong Soo, as childish as he could be, understood what that meant, and chose to keep quiet about it. "Okay."

Yao was on the wheel, they were driving down the highway. Everything was just covered with snow. They met a stop light, and once again, his phone rang. He checked the called id this time, _not_ hoping to see _his_ name across his phone's screen. To his relief, it wasn't.

"Great timing, Tino," he said. Yong Soo listened. "Yeah. Yeah, I am." From his seat, Yong Soo heard a squeal from his brother's phone. "Anyway, you said it was fine to bring a friend, right? My brother and I are coming." He paused. "Yeah. Sure. I'll see you there, aru."

"Where are we going, Yao-hyung?"

"A friend's Christmas party."

"Oh. Okay."

They stopped in front of a quaint, wooden house. They got off, and strode across the front lawn. From outside, Yong Soo made out that the house was filled with party songs, people laughing, and a lot of other, erm, sounds. He and his Yao-hyung trod up the front porch to the door. Yao rang the doorbell, and Tino popped up, holding a glass of alcohol.

"Hi, Yao!" He greeted. "And this must be Yong Soo?"

"Yeah. I hope you don't mind, aru."

"Oh, not at all. The more the merrier!" He giggled. "Come in, come in."

The Korean caught sight of a short-haired Chinese. He pulled on his brother's shirt and asked if he could wander around for a while. Yao gave him his consent, so he stalked the Chinese, thinking it was Hong Kong. He grabbed the man on the shoulders, and he saw that it actually _was_ Hong Kong.

"What are _you_ doing _here_?" The Chinese asked, honestly surprised.

Instead of answering properly, he prounced on Hong Kong, and groped him, getting his hands all over the other's body.

Tino accompanied Yao to the refreshments table, and chose a bottle of beer for him. The Chinese uttered a word of thanks.

"So, how come you decided to come here when you said you were _really_ sure you already had plans?"

"Well, let's just say that things happened, and those _plans_ got cancelled, aru." Indignity was well concealed.

"Awwwe... Oh, well. I bet this party's a whole lot better than your plans, anyway," the Finn cackled. "Anyway, go enjoy yourself, okay? I'm just going to check with the other guests."

"Okay."

With a tap on his shoulder, Tino took off.

His eyes casually scanned the room. There was a lot of people. He saw Berwald being pulled into a drinking contest by a Danish he once saw at the hospital. He also saw Arthur talking, more like arguing with Alfred, the American dentist just a couple of doors from his clinic. The latter seems like he was taunting the short-tempered Briton. Francis was also there with his _friend_, the Canadian nurse, Matthew. The Frenchman had his arms snaked around the other's neck. The Italian brothers, Feliciano and Lovino, Antonio, and Clara were all there, too. There was also a cocky, green-eyed blonde clinging on a green-eyed Lithuanian, whining his mouth off because of losing a poker game with an Estonian. There were a lot of other blondes, too. And they all seemed pretty happy.

"Yao? I never thought you go to these kind of things."

He whipped around to see who it was. A tall blonde with blue eyes and a strong build stood there, holding a bottle of beer.

"Oh. Ludwig. Yeah. I don't really... Go to stuff like this." Seeing a questioning look on the German's face, he continued, "well, you see, I didn't really plan on coming here, but apparently, the _arrangements_ I already had suddenly got cancelled, aru." He took a sip from his own beer. "What about you? I never thought _you_ came to parties like this, too." He always expected Ludwig to be the workaholic.

"Same here. I don't. I didn't have plans on going, either. Feliciano just came to my house with his brother, and yanked me."

"Oh. Okay, aru."

Seeing that the Chinese held a bottle of alcohol, he voiced, "I never thought you drink, too."

Yao merely laughed at that, and drank a mouthful.

"I'm going to get another one. Want one?"

Instead of agreeing, he asked, "aside from beer, are there anything else?"

The blonde pondered for a second. "I think so. If I'm not mistaken, I think I saw some rhum, brandy, and some vodka there, too."

"Great. Thanks. I'm going to get some for myself, aru."

"Alright."

And the Chinese journeyed to the table full of things that could easily get a light drinker drunk in a couple of minutes. He stood in front of the vast spread of a fairly wide variety of drinks. Just as Ludwig said, there were rhum, brandy, and vodka. There were also some gin, rye, whiskey, sherry, kirsch, kümmel, and a number of wine and beer labels. He stood there, and stared. He hoped that his brother wouldn't find out about that table. He reached for a glass of wine, and drank half of its contents. It was sweet. He finished his glass before grasping a bottle of beer, and chugging it down. Next, he took a glass of rhum, and did the same. He let out a breath, and wiped his mouth with the back of his hand. In an instant, there was a glass of brandy in his hand, and in a matter of seconds, it was empty. Without thinking, he reached for a glass of vodka, and downed it whole. He winced at how it burned his throat. He took another one, and repeated the process. He gasped for air. He took another one, and glared at it.

"Ivan drinks this a lot, aru." Like he did with the first two, he gulped it all down.

"Yao? Are you alright?" A worried little blonde came up to him.

"Huh? Oh, Tino. Yeah. Of course I'm fine, aru."

"Well, if you say so. Take it easy, okay?"

"Yeah, sure. Say, where's the bathroom?"

The Finn pointed out a finger. "Over there. Down the hall, second door on the left."

"Thanks."

After doing his business in the bathroom, he decided he just wanted to go home. He looked for Yong Soo. He found him, tugged on his arm and said, "come on. Let's go."

"Huh? Already? It's still only nine." He made a duck face. "You think I could stay for a little while? I know this place, so I won't get lost. Plus, Hong Kong's here, so I'm _really_ sure I won't get lost," he said, completely sober.

Without thinking thoroughly, he nodded. "Fine. Just make sure you get home in one piece, and all your clothes still on, aru."

"I will!"

Yao tapped Tino, and said he'll be going. The Finn wouldn't let him go, though. He needed a bit of help from the Swedish intern, Berwald. The moment the Finn turned to look away, he swiftly slipped out.

_The alcohol still isn't setting in. Good, aru. _

Hoping he wouldn't get caught, he drove down the street, and in a few minutes, he pulled over in front of their house. He got off, locked the car, and walked to the door. In the middle of the front lawn, he stopped in his tracks. He looked up.

It started snowing.

He frowned. The snow reminded him of Ivan. His hair had the color of snow, a silvery gray. He sighed, his breath was visible. He hurried into the house, and went to the living room. There was a different scent in the air. Nonetheless, he ignored it. He plugged in the lights on the Christmas tree, and stared at it. The happily blinking lights, and the colorfully-wrapped gifts seemed painfully ironic to him.

Everything should be happy, though. It was Christmas, for God's sake.

A wave of dizziness swept over him.

_The alcohol must be setting in, aru. Good. _

He smiled in spite of himself. He was starting to feel heat across his face. "I should get to bed," he mumbled to himself. He wobbled to his room, staggering a few of times on his way. His breathing became uneven, and his head was swimming. The dizziness he felt was getting worse. It was a good thing he didn't feel like throwing up, though. He continued with his way, reeling dangerously all the way until he got to his room. He left the door open, and fixed himself at the side of his bed. The light from the hallway, and the moonlight pouring in from his window illuminated a lump on his bed. A fairly huge lump.

_Wait, aru. I'm drunk. I must be hallucinating. Yeah. That's right, aru. I'm seeing things. _

He rubbed his eyes. And breathed loudly. He sat on his bed and took a closer look.

Silver hair the color of snow.

He gasped.

"I-Ivan..." He whispered under his breath. Ivan was sleeping soundly on his bed. He was fully clothed; he looked as if he dropped himself there the moment he stepped into the house. His scarf was still around his neck.

The world started spinning, and Yao's hand neared the Russian's face. He saw that his hand was trembling, but he still went on. He caressed Ivan's soft cheeks, then lined his cherry lips with his fingers.

A tear fell.

He bit his lip, lifted his hand, and as quick as lightning, a strong and forceful slap landed on the sleeping Russian's face.

"Mmph..." Ivan lightly flinched, and opened his eyes. He felt his cheek throbbing; he ran a hand, hoping to soothe it. "Oh, Yao. I am glad to see you." He sat up, and smiled serenely. When the Chinese refused to answer, he said, "merry Christmas." Yao had his lips tilted downward. "What is the matter?"

"You're asking _me_ what's the matter, aru?"

"Da. I am," he said, innocent.

Oh, dear, sweet alcohol. You make _anyone_ do _anything_.

"You promised me you'll be home on Christmas eve. Before you left, you told me you'd call everyday. I waited yesterday, and you never called. Then, I drive my ass to the airport, and you call me up, telling me that you can't go home, and everything gets cancelled? Now, _you_'re asking _me_ what's the matter, aru?" His voice shook terribly.

Ivan could see that Yao was shaking, and his face was all red. He felt guilty. Horribly guilty. He also noticed that he was acting a little... _Off_. He knew that the Chinese would always be calm and composed, no matter what would happen.

"Yao..." He began. "I am sorry."

"Oh, now you tell me you're _sorry_? What's that sorry going to do? It can't change a thing now, can it? That _sorry_ of yours can't pay for making me worry, you little-"

"Yao?" He held the Chinese by the wrists. "Are you... Are you drunk?"

Yao looked away, he didn't want him to see his face. "Drunk? Who's drunk? I'm not drunk."

Before he knew it, Ivan's lips were already against his. He slapped him again.

"What do you think you're doing, aru?"

"That is vodka. _Definitely_ vodka," Ivan assured himself. "Yao, why were you drinking?"

Yao chose not to answer that. At least he seems calmer now.

"I sold my part of the land to my sisters."

The Chinese looked up.

"I could not stand breaking a promise to you, thus, I sold my part of the land to my sisters, so everything could be done right away. And that I could keep my promise to you." He paused, and simpered. He let go of the Chinese's wrists, and held him by the shoulders. "Merry Christmas."

Yao gazed dearly into those penetrating, purple eyes. "You know what? I was like an idiot, aru," he said in a low voice. "I was excited all day for absolutely _nothing_. Now I feel stupid, aru."

"Yao," he chuckled. "You were not excited for nothing. I came home, did I not?" He pulled him in, and fastened him in a firm embrace. "Da?"

"I hate you," Yao muttered.

"Merry Christmas," Ivan repeated.

Yao dug his face into Ivan's shoulder, and mumbled something that sounded a lot like _I love you, aru_.

"I love you, as well, Yao." He smiled at himself.

And he felt the pleasantly familiar hands tighten around his waist.

.

..

...

**A/N:** Uhh... *cough* Heheh... Fluff ending. ||D

Anyway, this is supposed to be a Christmas special, but it's a few hours late, but... It's fine, I guess.

BTW, I'm currently in love with _XO Duets Cherry Vanilla Twirls_. Totally love it. At least someone made candy that actually tasted like cherry, and not just a teaspoonful of suger. TwT

Well, whatever. :D Shutting up now. :D


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